D&D 5E Campaign set during winter

[Tyler Dunn]

I am, planning to set a dnd campaign during the winter season (a particularly bad winter season that lasts too long due to the actions of the BBEG). How would the winter season affect the monsters the players encounter (like would they still encounter monsters whose natural environment was the forest if they were in the forest, but it was winter)?

 

[R_J_K75]

I am, planning to set a dnd campaign during the winter season (a particularly bad winter season that lasts too long due to the actions of the BBEG). How would the winter season affect the monsters the players encounter (like would they still encounter monsters whose natural environment was the forest if they were in the forest, but it was winter)?

If its the actions of the BBEG affecting the environment I'd make them even more active than normal to play up the disruption in the ecosystem. Id even have creatures wandering into villages and attacking the few caravans and adventurers stupid enough to try and traverse the wilderness.

 

[aco175]

Something like an owlbear would most likely hibernate. Typical animals would not be found, but things like wolves and such may be more likely to attack an adventuring party. I guess that eventually the daylight of Spring would start to draw out animals even if the winter has not subsided and there would be a massive die-off.

Maybe the BGNPC is a cleric of spring and has a secret mission for the PCs.

 

[Ancalagon]

A series of long winters would disrupt the crop season and cause spring floods (all the snow).

but long winters are something that do happen. It may be the 2nd or 3rd long winter before a sage determines that something is wrong.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Animals like wolves become more likely to attack humans due to scarcity of other prey.

 

[Dioltach]

Something like an owlbear would most likely hibernate.

Or they wake from their hibernation expecting it to be spring, and become more active and aggressive in their hunt for food.

 

[humble minion]

Extra long winter means starvation, when you're a pre-technological farmer and your stored grain etc runs out. Starvation means ... desperate measures, let's just say, and that leads to ghouls. And ghosts. Depending how long your winter goes for, a fairly common occurrence could be a dead, ice-locked village that ate through its supplies, resorted to cannibalism, and is now infested by the ghosts of the people who got eaten and the ghouls who used to be the ones who did the eating.

Any evil critters who worship a hunt god or follow some sort of druidic tradition would certainly notice the cycles of the seasons changing, and might start sacrificing folks to try to bring the spring back.

Underground-dwellers might be an interesting case, depending on how they usually feed themselves (trade with the surface, or living on subterranean fungi etc). Weather doesn't fluctuate as much down there. They might barricade themselves in against predation from the surface (from starving humans or just random monsters). Or the nastier ones might take advantage, offer food in exchange for slaves, or just nakedly take advantage of the weakness of the surface dwellers through invasion, raiding etc.

If you're in areas closer to the poles, of course, night-dwelling creatures like vampires will be loving their new freedom, because if winter lasts forever, the days will never get longer...

 

[akr71]

like would they still encounter monsters whose natural environment was the forest if they were in the forest, but it was winter?

Sure, why not. Not all creatures hibernate and I doubt many monsters would.

Wolves, dire wolves, worgs, winter wolves would be more prone to attack humanoid settlements
Banditry from all types of humanoids could be on the rise
An extremely irritated green dragon

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

I think you may see migration for food as winter takes its toll on animals. Starving animals will get bolder, risking to try to steal from encampments or try to create territories for themselves. You may see things lower on the food pyramid get depleted - like bears overfishing, people overfishing, etc. Things that can adapt - say wolves or fur-bearing critters - might be better off obviously.
And as far as humanoids go - if anything, I might look at information about WW2 and Stalingrad. Now, obviously, that's a winter/war scenario, but I think you'll find humanoids resorting back to scavenging and taking some bleak survival tactics.

 

[aco175]

Undead do not get cold. They are always on the move. They might overrun a settlement before they are noticed if there is a large storm and Private Snuffy is sitting around a fire instead of watching while on guard.